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ShareWine is quite the trendy arm-candy; thelatest designer statement, the hottest gastronomic accessory to grab attention since Sunday roast! In keeping with such, hotels have been stacking the wines, adding new labels faster than they can accommodate them.
Such unabated enthusiasm makes even me stop and search for the reason behind the madness. With the whole wine explosion, which I somewhat believe is more smoke than fire, the big question lurking is how do we really get all this wine stock worth millions moving? Given such high capital inventory, it is surely the job of a specialist.
This then begets the next question: is it operationally and financially viable to have a sommelier, or less euphemistically, does it make business sense to have a bloke hang around all day doing nothing but talking and tasting wine and perhaps selling some to the guests?
The answer is as simple as this: Yes! Any self-respecting F&B establishment which invests in a liquor licence and in wine stocks should be able to afford a sommelier. In fact, you never really have to afford them; if they are good, they pay themselves off through all the wines they move and also make a neat little profit for the outlet. Most sommeliers abroad work on a package that involves a fixed basic remuneration but with a lucrative possibility of making money as a percentage on wines sold.
To this effect a sommelier must be given great control over the wines stocked (or not), the pairings with the menus, the selling prices and even the odd discounts offered to special guests every now and then. Given such faith and trust a sommelier can, over time, increase wine sales and contribute significantly to the outlet's gains. Not to mention the prestige and privilege value associated with an outlet having a qualified sommelier.
Why then are they so few in number you ask? A few reasons: Given the lack of autonomy these sommeliers can't ever spread their wings and flex their vino muscles. As a result most of them come to India, eager-eyed, wishing to educate and revolutionise but then depart shortly, bitter and disheartened.
Another is that sommeliers are a rare and expensive commodity. People are not willing to take such a pricey risk. The Imperial Hotel in Delhi used to have one fine French sommelier, Stephane, but he left, much to the hotel's loss. There are a few of the tribe in Mumbai too but rather sporadic. Few hotels see the sommelier as a necessary expense.
Finally, the most important reason: there is no formal course to induct people into this trade. Apart from me and my team, I still don't know of any valid Indian sommeliers. Some foreigners (and Indians) masquerade as sommeliers (and even wine writers) on the Indian hospitality scene but they are little more than glorified bus boys to me.
I am in the process of starting India's first wine school for I believe that only when this knowledge is available locally can the premium tag go away from it. I wait for the day when sommeliers from Institute of Wine & Beverage Studies (IWBS) will occupy post and man stations at every wine outlet. Perhaps then we can all sit content in our favourite corners, sipping away our joys and sorrows with some good wine and sommelier-class service.
